Assistive Hygiene Station

This application claims priority to the U.S. provisional application 63/327,541 filed on Apr. 5, 2022.

The invention relates to an apparatus used by a caregiver to help with hygiene and cleaning of a baby, child, disabled adolescent, disabled adult, bariatric adult, or other person in need of assistance for basic body hygiene tasks, such as removal of human waste and human fluids, use of a water closet (common name in the U.S. is a toilet), and changing of soiled clothing.

Currently on the market, adult changing body supports or baby changing stations are typically used by a caregiver when caring for a person who may need assistance. An adult changing body support or baby changing station may be installed in commercial or public building restrooms. An adult changing body support may also be installed in a residential buildings restrooms. Such persons who may need assistance include, but are not limited to, a baby, a child, a disabled adolescent, a disabled adult, or a bariatric adult. Caregivers for these persons include, but are not limited to, parents, guardians, assisted living attendants, and medical providers. Persons in need of assistance may require assistance from a caregiver to accomplish basic body hygiene tasks, such as cleaning themselves, using a water closet, or removing soiled clothing. However, a caregiver may need the person in need of assistance to a take a certain position with their body so that assistance may be provided. Adult changing body supports and baby changing stations are non-adjustable, flat surfaces. Many caregivers struggle to effectively clean the person.

Often, a caregiver must aid a person in need of assistance to use the restroom. The person may not be able to use a toilet or water closet without assistance from a caregiver. Additionally, a person in need of assistance may be unable to control bowel movements and urination causing them to release waste or fluids at improper times. Frequently, these situations cause waste and fluids to get on a person in need of assistance and their clothes, requiring the caregiver to clean the person and change their soiled clothes.

Typically, caregivers are required to use disposable cleaning cloths, such as body wipes, to remove any human waste or human fluids. While body wipes containing moisture provide improved cleaning and sanitation compared to dry wipes, body wipes are less efficient than cleaning with water and can leave unhygienic conditions leading to rashes and body sores. A caregiver may be required to use multiple body wipes to sufficiently remove any human waste or human fluids. Additionally, human waste or human fluids may be transferred onto the adult changing body support or baby changing station during the cleaning process requiring the use of additional body wipes to clean the body support. However, as body wipes do not contain chemicals for sanitation purposes, the adult changing body support and baby changing station will have residual human waste and human fluids on the body support. This cleaning method is not the most effective and sanitary.

Furthermore, an adult changing body support and a baby changing station have an additional issue of disposing of human waste and human fluids. Often a person in need of assistance is not capable of using a water closet and relies on adult diapers for human waste and human fluids containment.

Once a person in need of assistance is at the adult changing body support or baby changing station, a caregiver will have to clean any residual human waste or human fluids off the person. Many disposable body wipes may be required to remove all the human waste or human fluids. Once a caregiver removes the human waste or human fluids from the person, the human waste, human fluids, and disposable body wipes must be discarded in a trash can. Adult changing body supports and baby changing stations do not contain a means to dispose of the human waste, human fluids, diapers, and disposable body wipes. Typically, caregivers are required to transport the human waste, human fluids, diapers, and used disposable body wipes from the adult changing body supports and baby changing stations to the trash can. Disposable body wipes, disposable baby wipes, and diapers are not able to be flushed down water closets.

Additionally, because typical adult changing tables do not include a water closet, the adult changing table is not a feasible option for people having an ostomy bag. People with an ostomy bag are often required to use a standard toilet to dispose of the waste within the ostomy bag. With the limited space around a standard toilet, this can often lead to accidents and spills of fecal matter, which may influence a person to avoid public settings to prevent these accidents.

Thus, a need exists to improve adult changing body supports and baby changing stations.

The disclosed invention addresses the above-identified issues and improves upon the prior art by integrating a water body spray assembly and a water closet into a hygiene system or an assistive hygiene station (herein the inventive system). The inventive system is often used as a substitute for a more effective method of cleaning, such as a shower or bath, that may be unavailable in certain buildings. For example, a shower or bath is typically not available when in public. Additionally, a person in need of assistance may require cleaning every time they defecate or urinate, making a shower or bath infeasible.

The inventive system supports a person in need of assistance and helps them take the proper position so a caregiver may provide assistance. The inventive system helps support the person in need of assistance to take a certain body position conducive for body cleaning and sanitation. This position allows for a person in need to defecate or urinate comfortably and for a caregiver to effectively clean the person. The inventive system may also be used independently without a caregiver by a disabled adult or adolescent, such as a person with an ostomy bag.

Generally, the inventive system provides a body support feature, often a body support or body-shaped surface that fully or partially supports the person in need of assistance. For example, a person in need of assistance could lay or sit on the body support. Additionally, a person could lean their weight against the body support. The body support allows a person in need of assistance to take a prone or semi-prone position that is conducive for the caregiver to clean the person. The embodiment may also provide a pelvic support for the person using the inventive system to prevent pressure on the body, back, and pelvis.

The water body spray assembly allows the caregiver to use water to clean the person in need of assistance. The human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water are then removed from the inventive system by the water closet. Thus, the integration of the body spray assembly and the water closet allows for more effective cleaning of a person in need and more effective removal of human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, and flushable body wipes.

The integrated body spray assembly provides a means for a caregiver or user of the inventive system to clean a person in need of assistance with water. Generally, using water to clean the person is more effective than only using disposable body wipes. In one embodiment, the body spray is a handheld device. The handheld body spray is connected to a flexible hose that allows the caregiver to point the body spray at a desired location. The body spray is then capable of supplying water flow targeted at a specific area. This embodiment allows the caregiver to remove human waste or human fluids from an area by spraying the human waste or human fluids with water. Once the person in need of assistance is cleaned with water, the caregiver can use toilet paper or flushable body wipes to further clean or dry the pelvic region.

Once the person needing assistance is cleaned, the human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water must be properly disposed of in a sanitary manner. The integrated water closet provides a means for proper sanitary disposal of human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water. The water closet is connected to the body support, which takes the form of an adjustable or flat body support. The body support contains an opening that leads to the water closet bowl. The human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water flow or drop into the water closet bowl. The water closet is connected to a sanitary sewer/drainpipe allowing the human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water to be flushed by a known technology incorporated into the water closet.

Furthermore, the integration of the water closet avoids a potential problem of moving a person in need of assistance from a water closet to the inventive system. A person in need of assistance can defecate or urinate while on the inventive system to use the water closet feature. Thus, the inventive system effectively and sanitarily disposes human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water.

The inventive system may be installed in a variety of different locations. Restrooms, bathing rooms, wet rooms, or bathrooms located in commercial, residential, industrial, or public buildings.

Thus, the integrated body spray assembly provides a means to use water to effectively clean a person in need of assistance. The integrated water closet provides an effective means to dispose of human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a hygiene system comprises a body support used to assist a person in need, such as a baby, a child, a disabled adolescent, a disabled adult or a bariatric adult, with hygiene. The hygiene system includes a water closet integrated with the body support and a drainpipe to remove human waste, human fluids, flushable waste, and black water from the person in need and the water closet. The embodiment may also include a body spray assembly, which is connected to a water supply, that is in fluid communication with the water closet.

This embodiment includes a hole in the body support positioned over the water closet and a cavity in the water closet for receiving a plumbing connection, along with a capability to flush human waste, human fluids, flushable waste, and black water from the water closet and body spray assembly to the drain. The embodiment may also include a base that supports the body support, at least one vertically extending wall abutting the outer perimeter of the body support, and a capability of being moved between a first and second vertical height.

Another embodiment may include an assistive hygiene station comprising a body support with a hole in it, a water closet having an open top positioned under the hole, and a body spray assembly, which is connected to a water supply, in the vicinity of the water closet. This embodiment may also include either a base that supports the body support or a mount connecting the assistive hygiene station to a wall. A shroud positioned under the body support may also be included. The assistive hygiene station includes a sanitary sewer connection connecting the water closet to a sanitary sewer and a flushing capability to flush material from the water closet to a sanitary sewer. The body support of this embodiment may also include at least one wall abutting the outer perimeter of the body support that extends vertically and a capability of moving from a first and second vertical height. This embodiment may also include a sink attached to the assistive hygiene station.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention may include a method of assisting with hygiene of a body of a person in need of assistance, which includes providing a body support. The body support includes a body support having a hole in it, a water closet under the hole, a sanitary sewer connection that connects the water closet to a sanitary sewer, and a body spray assembly, which is connected to a water supply, in the vicinity of the water closet. The person in need may be boosted onto the body support over the hole, sprays the person with water from the body spray removing any human waste or fluids from the person, and flushes the human waste or fluid down the sanitary sewer. The method may also include a caregiver aiding the person in need of assistance and washing their hands in a sink attached to the assistive hygiene station.

These and other aspects and objects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention that is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents, which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected, attached, or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.

The present invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments described in detail in the following description.

depict a hygiene system/an assistive hygiene station (herein the inventive system)with an integrated water closet. The integrated water closestis connected to the pelvic supportand an opening, i.e. a hole, in the body support. The openingin the body supportallows human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water to flow into the water closet. The water closetmay be connected to a sanitary sewer/drainpipe, allowing the human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water to be flushed to the sanitary sewer/drainpipe. Additionally, an integrated body spray assemblyis also included in the inventive system. The integrated body spray assemblyis connected to a water supply (not shown) and provides a means to use water to clean a person in need of assistance on the body supportwhile using the inventive system.

The inventive systemis supported by a base. The base may be designed to withstand a variety of different weights being placed on the body support. For example, the basemay be designed to support the relatively small weight of a child or a heavier weight required in bariatric care.

The basemay be mounted to a secured surface, such as the floor or wall of a room. In the embodiment depicted in, the baseis floor mounted with four corner legs holding up the body support. Another floor mounted embodiment may include a center support with one or more legs supporting the body supportnear the center of the body support. Another embodiment may include no baseand be wall mounted (not shown). The mount to the wall would support the body support.

Additionally, the basemay provide the capability to adjust the height of the body supportor the rest of the inventive system. The adjustable height capability may allow the body supportto be lowered or raised to a height that makes it easier for a person in need of assistance to get onto the body support. For example, the body support may be adjusted from a first height to a second height (not shown). The body supportmay then be lowered or raised to a height that makes it easier for a caregiver to provide assistance. The adjustable height capability may allow for flexibility for the different tasks that occur when using the inventive system. The height adjustment may be accomplished through manual or automated means. The adjustable height capabilities may be accomplished with either a floor mount or a wall mount embodiment. Movable connections for the water closetand sanitary sewer/drainpipe, which are known in the art and incorporated into U.S. standards and regulations listed in the Appendix, and U.S. building safety codes may be included to allow for this height adjustment.

The body supportsupports the weight of a person in need of assistance. A person in need of assistance may sit on, lay on, or lean against the body support. The body supporthelps hold a person in need of assistance in a prone or semi-prone position so that a caregiver may effectively provide care.

Different embodiments may utilize different shapes for the surface of the body support. Different options for surface shape are depicted in. As depicted in, the surface of the body supportmay be flat. A flat body supportis shown in. As depicted in, the surface of the body supportmay be molded with a lower middle section. This embodiment would allow human waste, human fluids, and black water to naturally drain via gravity to the water closetlocated beneath the body support. As depicted in, the surface of the body supportmay be angled toward the center. Similarly, this embodiment would enable natural draining via gravity. The surface of the body supportmay also include a back incline as depicted in. This embodiment would allow a person in need of assistance to lean against the body support. This embodiment may be useful if the person has difficulty sitting upright. Additionally, the back incline embodiment may include a leg raise as depicted in. This surface shape may allow for a person in need of assistance to comfortably sit on the body support, while human waste, human fluids, and black water are still able to naturally drain to a low point in the surface.

The body supportmay also come with additional features. An integrated security lap strap may be included. A security lap strap may limit the movement of a person in need of assistance when using the inventive system. Limiting a person's movement may be beneficial to ensure the person does not fall off the body supportor to keep the person relatively stationary as the caregiver provides assistance.

The body supportmay also move positions. For example, with a back incline shaped surface, the back incline portion of the body supportmay adjust to change the angle of the incline. Changing positions may be accomplished by manual methods or automated methods.

The body support body supportmay also include a heating or cooling capability. A person in need of assistance may require their bare skin to touch the surface of the body support. This contact may be uncomfortable due to the temperature difference between the person's skin and the surface of the body support. The ability to heat or cool the surface of the body supportmay relieve this discomfort. This heating capability may be manually activated or activated by sensors, such as motion or touch sensors.

Wallsmay also be included on the edges or outer perimeterof the body support. For example, overflow guardsextend in a vertical or partially vertical direction from the edges of the body support. Overflow guardsmay be included to prevent any water, waste, or fluids from flowing off the body support. Embodiments of overflow guardsmay vary in height. The height of the overflow guardsmay be designed so that the height of the overflow guardsexceeds the height of any water, waste, or fluids flowing to the edges of the body support. In this embodiment, the water, waste, and fluids would collide with the overflow guardsand stop the flow heading off the body support.

Another example of wallsthat may be included on the outer perimeterof the body supportinclude splash guards. Similar to overflow guards, splash guardsextend in a vertical or partially vertical direction from the edges of the body support. However, splash guardsextend higher than overflow guards. Embodiments of splash guardsmay vary in height. Splash guardsmay prevent overflow plus an additional capability of minimizing splashing water, waste, and fluids from exceeding the perimeter of the body support. When using the body spray assembly, pressurized water may be sprayed toward the person in need of assistance and the body support. The water's collision with these surfaces may cause water, waste, or fluids to scatter in a variety of directions which may get on the caregiver, the person in need of assistance, or other objects off the inventive system. The splash guardsmay provide a barrier that prevents this splashing from leaving the outer perimeter of body support.

Side rails may also be included on the edges of the body support. Side rails may prevent a person in need of assistance from falling off the body support. A variety of designs for side rails may be used that are well known by a person having skill in the art. The side rails may have a lock-in-place design or a drop and lock-in place design. Side rails may also be limited in height so a caregiver may easily be able to reach over the side rails. Additionally, side rails may have a center curve, lowering the height of the side rails near the center. This embodiment may allow for a caregiver to easily reach over the side rails.

These possible features that may be included on the edges of the body support, such as the overflow guards, the splash guards, and the side rails, may vary in different embodiments. These features may vary in height depending on the goal of the desired feature. These features may also be installed on the outer edges of the body supportor simply near the edges of the body support. Additionally, these features may vary in the number of sides of the body supportto which they are installed. For example, in, two sides include overflow guards, and the other two sides include splash guards. However, an embodiment could include a different combination of these features. Furthermore, different embodiments for the body supportmay include three or more sides.

The inventive systemmay also include grab bars, which may help a person in need of assistance or a caregiver to maintain balance. A person may hold the grab bars to maintain stability. The grab bars may have a circular cross section. Depending on the embodiment, grab bars may be designed to sustain varying loads, such as a standard weight load or a bariatric weight load. Grab bars may be mounted in a variety of ways and places, such as wall mounts, flush mounts, mounts on the splash guards, or mounts on some other area of the inventive system.

The pelvic supportis a transition from the body supportto the opening, i.e. a hole, that leads to the water closet. The edges of the pelvic supportcreate the outer perimeter of the opening. A person in need of assistance may place their pelvic region on top of the pelvic support. This may be done by sitting on the pelvic support. This position may allow any waste or fluids discharged from the person's pelvic region to travel through the openingcreated by the pelvic support. Different embodiments may utilize different shapes for the pelvic support., as well as, depict a square, flat openingfor the pelvic support. An embodiment may also utilize an angled, drop opening, as depicted in, or a contoured opening, as depicted in. Additionally, similar to the body support, the surface of the pelvic supportmay have heating capabilities.

The openingcreated by the pelvic supportis open to and overlays the open topto the integrated water closet. The water closetacts as a water closet and is capable of discarding human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, and black water. The water closetin the inventive systemmay contain a bowl and at least one penetration that is capable of being connected to a sanitary sewer/drainpipe. The penetration creates a cavityin the water closet, which has a plumbing connection to connect to the sanitary sewer/drainpipe, as shown in. This penetration connection may be a wall penetration or a floor penetration. The connection to a sanitary sewer/drainpipeallows the water closetto have flushing capabilities (not shown). Therefore, a person in need of assistance or a caregiver may discard any human waste, human fluids, toilet paper, flushable body wipes, or black water by flushing the water closet.

Different embodiments may incorporate different flushing technology that are known by a person having skill in the art. For example, an embodiment may include an air gap-style design, a blow-out action-style design, a flush valve-style design a pressurized flushing device-style design, a siphonic-style design, an electro-hydraulic-style design, a low-consumption style design, a dual-flush style design, or an electromechanical style design. Furthermore, the water closetmay also include an emergency flush support design in the case of power failures. Additionally, the method to activate the flushing capabilities may vary. For example, flushing may be activated by a hardwired solenoid-operated electronic sensor, a single and dual-flush side-mounted sensor, a battery-powered side-mount sensor, a battery-powered side-mount operator sensor, a hydraulic push-button, a foot pedal, a wall-mounted sensor flushing device, a floor-mounted flushing device, or a wall mounted flushing device. The flushing activation method may be concealed or exposed within the inventive system.

The water closet may also include a warm air-drying feature for the pelvic region. In this embodiment, warm air may be emitted below the pelvic support. This feature may dry any moisture on a person's pelvic region when using the pelvic support. The warm air-drying may be emitted from a wand. The wand may be made of stainless steel and may have an antimicrobial finish. An embodiment may include variable temperature settings. The warm air-drying feature may be activated manually or via sensors.

An integrated air deodorizermay also be included in the inventive system, as shown in. An air deodorizerwill mitigate bad scents emitted from the waste or fluids. The air deodorizer may be located below the pelvic support, installed within the water closet, or installed within the sanitary sewer/drainpipe. Carbon filtration technology, a spray, or release of a chemical solution may be used. The air deodorizermay be activated manually or via sensors.

The inventive systemmay also include a means for cleaning the pelvic supportand the water closet. Due to the proximity to human waste and fluids, the pelvic supportand water costmay require frequent cleaning. An external cleaning device may be provided for cleaning these areas. A drop-down device may be lowered into the water closet, passing the pelvic support, to allow for cleaning. The device may be activated via a pull-down method, a pull handle, or a swing activation method.

Another embodiment may include an integrated water closetbowl cleaner. The bowl cleaner may be installed within the water closet. One embodiment of a bowl cleaner is a wand with a spray field. This wand may be made of stainless steel. Another embodiment may include a means of pre-misting the bowl. Yet another embodiment may include a detergent dispenser system installed within the bowl.

Electric controls may be required for some features that may be included in the inventive system. For example, the following capabilities may require electric controls: the adjustable baseheight, the adjustable body supportposition, the surface heating of the body supportand the pelvic support, the warm air-drying of the pelvic region, and the air deodorizer. The controls may be hardwired to the inventive systemor have an electronic wireless connection. The controls may be stored in a remote control panel or integrated onto the inventive system. The control panel may be stand mounted, wall-mounted, or flush mounted. A panel may also be mounted on a splash guardor on a different area of the inventive system.

A touch pad with buttons may also be included to control certain features. A touch pad may control the adjustable baseheight, the adjustableposition, the surface heating of the body supportand the pelvic support, the warm air-drying of the pelvic region, and the air deodorizer. A single touch pad may be provided to control all these features, or multiple touch pads may control different features. A touch pad may be handheld or mounted within the inventive system. A touch pad may also be illuminated to increase the visibility of the pad. Additionally, a touch screen may be used in place of a touch pad.

The inventive systemalso includes an integrated body spray assembly, which is connected to a water supply (not shown). A body spraymay be handheld and attached to a flexible or rigid hose. The body sprayemits water flow. A caregiver may use a handheld body sprayto spray water, preferably warm pressurized water, while using the inventive systemto clean a person in need of assistance or the inventive systemitself. By allowing the use of water, the body spray assemblyallows a caregiver to more effectively clean. The handheld capability and flexible hosemay allow a caregiver to direct water to a specific area, which may remove any waste or fluid in that area. A spray head may be attached to the flexible hose to make it easier to hold and control water flow.

The body spraymay be designed to produce different flow rates, such as a standard flow rate design or a high efficiency style design. Additionally, the body spraymay be capable of producing different flow rates, depending on its setting. Flow from the body spray assemblymay be activated by a variety of different methods, such as a foot control, a pull-down method, a pull and/or push handle, a mechanical push button, swing activation, or a piezo switch. The body spray assemblymay be mounted near or on the inventive system. Mounting may be on a stand, wall mounted, flush mounted, mounted on a splash guard, or mounted in another location on the inventive system.